The Russellville School District has found a way to address a shortage in educational leaders — it will grow its own.

Through a partnership with Arkansas Tech University, the district has placed 18 teachers into a rare program to help them grow into leaders.

“We’re offering a broad perspective of leadership,” said Dr. Mary Gunter, dean of the Tech graduate college and professor of educational leadership. “It is a unique experience.”

Through the Partnership for Leadership Development, teachers receive three hours of credit toward a master’s degree at a reduced cost and attend a monthly seminar, while also researching school governance and organization.

“It’s building principals, master teachers, curriculum leaders or school counselors.”

Gunter said the program was open to any teacher in the Russellville district.

Participants attended a school board meeting in the fall, and during the spring, they shadowed a professional in the role in which they were interested.

For the final session, the group was split into teams to research and answer three questions:

n What do we know about embedding professional development into the existing schedule?

n What do we know about embedding remediation and enrichment activities for students in the existing schedule?

n How will the implementation of the common core affect the existing master schedule?

“They are taking the theories and putting them into practice,” Gunter said. “We’re asking ‘How do we get the most out of the school day?’”

The teams will present their research to the administrators, who will consider each team’s approach, with thoughts toward possible implementation and piloting the plans.

Bynum said the district is looking to increase its leadership reach.

“The state just put out a memo about the shortage of building principals,” Bynum said. “In the past, we would get 15 to 20 applications for principals and today, we get two or three or four.”

Bynum said the partnership with Tech is allowing the district to not only grow its own leaders, but to “grow our own capacity for success.”

She explained even if the participants don’t become principals or counselors or curriculum specialists, they do become more aware of the need for leadership among teachers and faculty, and they have a richer experience after learning how external and internal controls within a school district lead to its successes.

“We may not hit a home run every time, but everyone wins,” Gunter said, adding the partnership has become a model for other colleges and districts throughout the state. The college received requests from two other districts to replicate the program.

Bynum said she is actively requesting from Tech President Dr. Robert C. Brown the continuance of the partnership.

“It’s a true partnership,” she said. “Dr. Gunter listens and provides what is needed to help with our growth and we provide candidates for master’s programs from our district.”

About half of the group have enrolled in the masters in educational leadership degree program at Tech.

“We are supporting growth that is practical and hands-on for specific and important roles,” Gunter said.